Coupler for trailing ordnance and the like



June 14, 1938. H. J. VAN DOORNE COUPLER FOR TRAILING ORDNANCE AND THELIKE Filed Sept. 12, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG'J.

June 14, 1938. VAN DOORNE 2,120,637

COUPLER FOR TRAILING ORDNANCE AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 12, 1956 4Sheets-Sheet 2 12 a u 14 2 10 m Has.

I) F O June 14, 1938. VAN DOORNE 2,120,637

COUPLER FOR TRAILING ORDNANCE AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 12, 1936 4Sheets-Sheet 3 WWW 9m June 14, 1938. H. .1. VAN DOORNE 2,120,637

COUPLER FOR TRAILING ORDNANCE AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 12, 1936 4Sheqts-Sheet 4 Patented June 14,

UNITED STATES.

COUPLER FOR TRAILING ORDNANCE AND THE LIKE Hubcrtus Josephus van Doorne,Deurne,

, Netherlands Application September 12, 1936, Serial No. 100.554

m the Netherlands September 26, 1935 I 9 Claims.

When pieces of ordnance or other heavy vehicles are trailed by means ofa tractor over uneven ground, conditions may render it impossible orvery diflicult to move the tractor and .the piece 5 of ordnancetogether. It has been proposed to overcome such difliculties byproviding the tractor with a winch; and after the piece of ordnance isunlimbered, the tractor is driven separately over the difllcult portionsof the ground and loo cated in a suitable position with locked wheels.The winch cable is then engaged with the iimber eye, and the piece ofordnance pulled to the tractor by means of the winch, after which thecable is detached and the iimber eye is lifted over 15 the iimber hook.The unlimberingvthe fastening of the winch cable and'the hooking onagain are operations which cause an appreciable loss.

of time. With heavy ordnance pieces which have a draw-bar weight ofabout 1500 lbs., these dini- 20 culties are particularly noticeable forin such cases the draw-bar weight is too heavy to permit lifting thesame by manual force and thus the use of jacks is necessary in order tolift the drawbar. After having lifted the iimber eye 25 at the requiredheight the tractor must be driven forwards and backwards in order tobring the iimber hook under the limber eye. It is evident that theseoperations may cause an unwarranted loss of time when a batteryincluding such ordnance pieces has to change its position, and suchoperations may be impossible to perform under hostile fire.

The purpose of the present invention is to obviate these drawbacks, andaccording to my in- 35 vention the draw-hook which is intended to couplethe piece of ordnance or-the like to the tractor, is secured to thewinch cable so that when a piece of ordnance is trailed over unevenground and anobstacle is encountered, it is possible to 40 lower thedraw-bar oi the piece of ordnance till it rests on the ground andthereupon the tractor may be driven away while the cable is unreeled.

After the tractor has arrived in a-suitable position the drive of thewinch is put into operation,

5 so that the piece of ordnance is pulled to the tractor and thereuponthe draw-bar is lifted by the cable, and the tractor and the piece ofordnance may be moved together again without necessitating the abovedescribed operations of uncoupling 50 and again hooking the limber eyeto a fixed iimber hook.

According to the invention the draw-hook may be provided with apartwhich fits in a correspondingly shaped member of the tractor. Thus 5 arigid support for the draw-hook is obtained so (01. zany-43.15)

that the same may resist heavy shocks when the tractor is moving overuneven ground.

The rigidity of the connection between the tractor and the piece ofordnance or the like may be still increased by a locking mechanismwhich, 5 after fully reeling the winch cable, will automatically be putinto operation so as to connect the draw-hook to the tractor in such away that the cable is relieved of the strain of drawing the piece ofordnance or-the like. The locking mechanism may comprise a pawl whichmay be moved by a spring, and a catch adapted to prevent the pawl frommoving by the action or. said spring until the draw-hook arrives in itsnormal position, whereupon the catch is shifted so that the pawl ismoved quickly by the spring and engages a recess or the like in thedraw-hook.

When using a tractor with a. mechanically driven winch the drivingmechanism of the winch may be automatically released by the draw-hookarriving in its place thus preventing the cable after reeling frombecoming overstressed, and thus slip couplings or ratchet couplings,which would otherwise be necessary to preventthis overstressing, aresuperfluous. This automatic releasing may be effected by placing adisplaceable member in the path of the drawhook or of a part connectedtherewith which member by means of rods, cables or the like or by aservo-mechanism is connected with the normal releasing mechanism of thewinch drive.

The drawings show by way of example an embodiment of a tractor accordingto the invention.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the rear portion of a tractor according tothe invention.

, Fig. 2 is a corresponding top view.

Fig.'3 is a section through the hook and adjacent parts of the tractoron an enlarged scale.

Fig. 4 is a rear view of the parts shown in Fig. 3. 40

Fig. 5 is a top view of the parts shown in Fig.

3, partly in section.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the pawl.

Fig. 7 is an elevation conventionally showing the arrangement of leversat the front end of the tractor. x:

Fig. 8 is a detail.

The rear part of the tractor shown in the drawings is supported by arear axle \on each of which is mounted a swiveling member 2 with roadwheels13, although if desired an endless band may be arranged around theroad wheels 3 in order to make the tractor still'better adapted to bedriven over uneven ground. The tractoris provided with a winch I whichis driven by the 5 engine through the gearbox, a power-take-ofl', ashaft 3, a reduction drive 8 and a shaft which is enclosed within thetube 1.

The winch cable I is guided by a pulley 9 and has a draw-hook III at itsouter end. The drawhook is composed of two parts, 1. e., the hook properwhich is pivotally connected with a conical part l2 by means of a boltThe winch cable 3 is fixed to the draw-hook by having its end l3arranged in a bore of increasing diameter in the conical part l2, saidend l3 being enlarged by splicing and pouring in metal.

The conical part l2 of the draw-hook fits in a correspondingly shapedmember l4 on the tractor which forms a unit with the guiding faces l5between which a pulley I! is rotatably journaled on a pin i6. Thispulley guides the cable when the same is unreeled and when the ordnanceis pulled to the tractor and the draw-bar is being lifted from theground; also it further serves as a support for the pivotal part of thedraw-hook.

The purpose of connecting both hook parts by a pivot is to prevent thedraw-hook, when the draw-bar is being lifted, from acting as a lever'and from taking such a position with relation to the cable that at thepoint where the cable leaves the conical part l2 the cable would be benttoo sharply; Such would be the case if the hook and the conical part |-2constituted a single unit- The bolt II is kept in its place within thepart I! by extensible resilient split rings which are arranged inannular grooves in the part l2.

When after reeling the winch cable 9 the drawhook has arrived in itsplace in the part l4 of the tractor, the draw-hook is locked in thisposition by means of a pawl I! which is slidable along guides l9 andengages with its edge 20 a groove 2| of the conical part *|2. Springs 22keep the pawl l3 against guides I9. The guides are inclined so thatafter wear of the part l2 with relation to the part l4 the pawl i9 isshifted further under the influence of the spring 32 (Fig. 2) and thehandle 3|, so that the wear is compensated for. The pawl i9 is made insuch a way that when the mechanism is new the edge 20 does not engagethe groove 2| of the cone H to its full depth. If now the co-operatingparts l2 and I4 begin to wear the spring 32 will, by means of the lever3|, shift the pawl i9 farther into the groove 2| and as a result of thetaper of the guides l9 any play caused by the wear is taken up. When thepawl l9 engages the groove 2| it is automatically locked by a mechanismwhich operates in the following way: I

When the cable is unreeled the pawl I3 is kept in its disengagedposition by a catch which consists of a pin 23 slidable in the part|4,'the head 24 of which is maintained by a spring 25 in a circularrecess 29 in the pawl I8. If the cable is reeled and the draw-hookarrives in its place in the part II, a projection 21 of the conical parti2 shifts the pin 23 against the action 01' the spring 25 till the head24 leaves the circular recess 23, and the pawl I! may slide with itsslot 230 receiving the shank of pin 23 so that the part 29 enters intothe groove 2|, the pawl l9 being shifted by means of an arm 23 which hasa ballshaped head 23 engaging an opening 33 in the pawl which arm isintegral with a lever 3| which is urged rearwardly of the tractor by aspring 32. This lever 3| is connected by a cable or rod 33 with a handle33 (Fig. '7.) near the driver's seat. If it is desired to 'unreel thewinch cable the pawl ll must be kept in its outermost position by one ofthese levers until the projection, of the 'in the slot 45.

amass? draw-hook is so far from the part l4 that under the action of thespring 25 the head 24 of the catch 23 is shifted into the recess 26 andthe pawl i8 is locked.

Cable 33 connects the above described mechanism with the normalreleasing device of the winch drive. By this means the arrival of. thedraw-hook in its normal position automatically effects the uncoupling ofthe winch drive, so that the winch cable 8 cannot be overstressed, ordamage parts of the mechanism.

Fig. '7 shows how, by means of rod 33, the mechanism just described isoperatively connected with the winch drive. Normal control members areshown, such as a brake pedal 36 and brake hand lever 31, and thetransmission control lever 38. Within reach of the driver there arefurther arranged a lever 39 for operating the winch brake acting on thereduction gearing 3 (Figs. 1 and 2), and a pedal'4ll which may be pushedforwardly in order to engage the normal power-take-oif 34. The pedal 43is provided with a stud 4| (Figs. 7 and 8) engaging a slot 42 of a link43. This link is pivotally connected to an enlarged end 44 of rod 33,said end 44 being provided with a slot 43 in which slides a stud 49 ofthe above mentioned hand lever 35.

If it is desired to release the draw-hook l0 and to unreel the winchcable, the driver pulls the lever 35 back so that the rod 33 is pulledforwardly of the tractor and the pawl i9 is retracted from the groove 2|of the draw-hook. By means of the winch brake lever 39 the winch isslowly revolved in order to lower the draw-bar of the ordnance pieceafter which the winch brake 39 is fully released. The lever is thenpushed forward again so that the stud 46 slides backward The rod 33 isheld in its foremost position against the action of the spring 32, asthe pawl i3 is locked by the catch 23, 24, thus preventing any movementof the lever 3|.

During the forward displacement of the rod 33 the slotted link 43 hasmoved along the stud 4| without moving the pedal 40. If it is now de-'sired to engage the winch drive, the pedal is pushed forward, duringwhich movement the stud 4| slides in the slot 42. Thus the winch isdriven from the power-take-ofi. When now the drawhook Ill arrives in itsnormal position in the part i4 of the tractor, the catch 23, 24 is thenforced to release the pawl l8, and spring 32 expands and the rod 33pulls the pedal 40 rearward so that the winch drive is automatically putout of action. In this way the winch cable 8 cannot be wound too tightand thus any overstress of the cable or other parts of the mechanism isprevented.

It is evident that by means of the locking mechanisin a limber hookconstruction is obtained which is as strong as the normal fixed limberhook and possesses the advantage that the driver may release the hookfrom its seat and may bring the hook again in its place after which thehook will be automatically locked and the winch drive is released; alsoa further advantage is obtained by the book being pivoted so that thedistance the tractor.

The tractor according to the invention is not only adapted for trailinga piece of ordnance but also for other heavy vehicles, such asexcavators or the like.

1. In combination, a motor frame; a winch on the frame having a cable; adraw-hook having a shank connected with the cable; a fixed member on theframe adapted to seat the shank; and means for automaticallylocking theshank in the fixed member, and for rendering the winch drive inoperativewhen the cable is fully reeled.

2. In a combination as set forth in claim. 1, said means comprising amovable member on the fixed member adapted to engage the shank;yieldable means normally urging the movable member into engagedposition; a catch prevented movement of the movable member when thelatter is in disengaged position; a link operated by the movable memberand having a slotted connection with the winch drive; and meansoforreleasing the catch when the shank isjseated in the fixed member therebypermitting the yieldable means to abruptly shift the movable membar.

3. In combination, a tractor having a motor; a winch on the tractorhaving a cable; means for operating the winch. by the motor; a draw-hookhaving a shank connected with the cable; a fixed member on the tractoradapted to, seat the shank; and means for automatically locking theshank in the fixed member and for disconnecting the winch operatingmeans when the cable is fully reeled.

4. In a combination as set forth in claim 3, said said means comprisinga movable member on'the fixed member adapted to engage the shank:yieldable means normally urging the movable member into engagedposition; a catch preventing having a shank connected with the cable: afixed member on the tractor adapted to the shank;

means for automatically lochng the shank in the "fixed member when theshank is seated; and-- means operated by the locking means forautomatically disconnecting the winch operating means when the shank isseated.

6. In a combination as set forth in claim 5, said locking meanscomprising a movable member on the fixed member adapted to engage theshank; yieldable means normally urging the movable member into engagedposition; a catch preventing movement of the movable member when thelatter is in disengaged position; and. means for releasing the catchwhen the shank is seated, thereby permitting the yieldable means toshift the movable member. Q

'7. In a combination as set forth in claim 5, said locking meanscomprising a movable member on the fixed member adapted to engage theshank; a lever for operating the movable member; yieldable means fornormally urging the lever to shift the movable member into engagingposition; a

catch mounted on the, fixed member preventing movement of the movablemember when the latter is in disengaged position; and means forreleasing the catch when the shank is seated, thereby permitting theyieldable means to shift the movable member.

8. In a combination as set forth in claim 5, said said locking meanscomprising a movable member on the fixed member adapted to engage theshank; yieldable means normally urging the movable member into engagedposition; a catch preventing movement of the movable member when thelatter is in disengaged position; and said disconnecting meanscomprising a link operated by the movable member and having a slottedconnection with the winch operating means; and means for releasing thecatch when the shank seated. v

9. In a combination as set forth in claim 5, said locking meanscomprising a movable member on the fixed member adapted to engage theshank; a lever for operating the movable member; yieldable means fornormally urging the lever to shift the movable member into engagedposition; a catch mounted on the fixed member and preventing movement ofthe movable member when the latter is in disengaged position; and saiddisconnecting means comprising a link connected with the lever andhavingalslotted connection with the winch operating means; and means forreleasing the catch when the shank is seated.

' HUBERTUS J. was DOORNE.

